The Colours of Life

The mare laid there watching the rolling of the waves crashing along the beach. She often wondered how the waves seemed so soothing for the mind. The seas of Equestria were quite vast and often unpredictable. Not many ponies dared to travel them seeking its wonders. There were sometimes tails of ponies that lived in the depths of seas and lakes; however they were usually somepony strange in the head.

As Loyal laid in her motionless state, she was unaware of the filly creeping up behind her. “Got your Loyal!” Loyal Eclipse stumbled as she was startled by the little filly’s screeching voice.

“Rhythm, shouldn’t you be getting back to your father?”

“He is away on a business trip, did no one tell you?” Loyal always hated Rhythm’s father leaving unannounced, as she always had to look after her.

“So, do you know where he is off to this time?”

“No, he never tells me everything. But you do! That’s why I love being with you!”

The filly had become and common thing in Loyal’s life, they were practically sisters. They would do everything together, they talked for hours on end and gossiped on the usual passer-by. Seeing the sight of Rhythm always left and warm feeling in Loyal’s heart and she loved the little mare for most of her life. Seeing something happen to her would leave Loyal broken and nothing would matter no more.

“Well I hope you do! You silly filly,” Loyal said with a cheeky tone.

They started playing around rolling on the meadow overlooking the sea. They giggled and chuckled while each of them was nudging the other around.

“Loyal stop! It tickles,” Loyal we nudging her nose under Rhythm’s cheeks. Her fur was smooth and it glistened with the shiny coat it bared. She was beautiful Loyal thought, how the father of this child could leave her alone so often. Her attitude was sweet and kind and she always wanted to play and muck around.

The two blood sisters played together till the sun rose over the long rolling sea. As they tired out a colt from the town, Bridalday, came over. Loyal was an important pony in the town, she was the daughter of the mayor. Quick Jolt was the mayor’s protégé and was to look after all of his doings as well as Loyal.

“Yes Quick Jolt, how can I help you?”

“My mare,” he bowed apologectally.

“Your father has asked me to bring you to him.”

Loyal thought about what it could be this time, her father was so protective of daughter never letting her out of his sight. “Did he say what he wanted?”

“Sorry my mare, he didn’t tell me anything. But he said it was urgent,” Disgusted, Loyal was annoyed how her father never told her what he wanted with her.

“Well I guess I better find out then! I wouldn’t want to make him angry. Rhythm can you follow Quick Jolt and let him look after you while I go talk to my father?” She gestured to Quick Jolt to assist Rhythm, she couldn’t leave the filly alone, she was barely 2 years old.

“Ok Loyal! See you soon!” The little filly waved to Loyal as she rode on Quick Jolts back, which seemed to have an annoyed gesture on his face. Loyal waved back with a smile on her face, she always hated to see the filly out of her sight.

Now she too headed towards town looking to find the Grand Hall where her father was no doubt to be.

She opened the door and was pushed back by the wretched smell of ale fuming from within the hall. Eyes began to gaze at the newly reformed figure that emerged from the door. Many began shielding their eyes from the suns glare as it gleamed straight through the door. Grunts erupted from the drunken souls in the room hating to have to use their hooves to stop the glare and not being able to drink. One of them started bellowing insults, forcing Loyal to close the door. Loyal hated to be here, she didn’t like the smell of alcohol and the brutes that drank it uncontrollably.

Loyal trotted past all of the ponies making sure she didn’t bring her eyes into contact with theirs. They all watched her as she walked into the Royal Apartments at the back of the room. The eyes were stuck onto her like hawks watching their prey. She couldn’t stop feeling as if she had done something terribly wrong. As she turned a corner out of sight of the drunks, chatter began to erupt once again, laughter and fighting also begun. How could someone ever drink, Loyal thought.

She knocked onto her father’s door and waited for him to open. She could here talking from behind door, who else was in there. She knocked once again and she could her ponies hurrying about the room. Whispers also streamed into Loyal’s ear, what on Celestia’s sake was going on in there? A voice from behind the door bellowed out.

“Who is it!” a familiar voice called.

“Loyal Eclipse!”  She replied. She could hear hooves walking up to the door and once again more whispering. The door opened, she could see her father and he was blind wasted. He had been drinking all day and could no longer walk.

“Who’s thish’!” He slurred. He couldn’t even recognise his own daughter. Loyal wasn’t impressed, he had been on the ale all day and didn’t even see the sun. She was disgusted how her father kept doing this.

“I am your daughter! Don’t you recognise me you blind troll!” she yelled at her father feeling the rage rumbling inside her.

“Oh yess, Loyal is it? Come in, wash your step.” He stumbled awkwardly across the room dodging obstacles as he went however there were none, he was obviously seeing things. Loyal heard more whispers erupting from under the blanket in the corner of the room.

“Dad, who else is in here?” Free Jumper, Loyal’s father, became worried. He was hiding something which he didn’t want his daughter to find out. She took another swig out of his tankard and started to babble on what to say.

“Oh, ahh… no one ‘ear, now wha’ was it ya’ want?” He tried to change the subject but Loyal was accustomed to his usual trick.

“Tell me who else is in here! You better not have lady ponies in here! I have to sleep in here you know,” Free Jumper was caught. He had been playing with hired pony sluts to satisfy himself while he drank.

“Get out the lot of you! I know you’re in here! I tell you get out! Now!” Loyal screech and four ponies dashed out behind their covers and galloped out the door. The other drunken ponies bellowed and laughed as they saw them screaming out the door. A few cam suspicious of what happened for them to run but all were too lazy to leave their drinking. Loyal however had a smile behind her face as she watched the ponies stumble out the door but shortly afterwards became aggressive.

“You should be ashamed of yourself, what would our mother think of you!”  Her father now drooped his head towards the ground, ashamed of his past actions. Their mother died on Loyal’s third birthday, she loved her mother very much and became dependant on her. However since her death she had become misguided and lead down the wrong paths. She was no longer the person who she once was.

However when little Rhythm was born, she was five and soon was able to do some little jobs. She was told to babysit Rhythm while her father went on errands to Appleloosa. Her mother died at birth as well, but she doesn’t remember her mother so they didn’t tend to talk about her. They had much in common, both lost their mothers and have terrible fathers.

When Loyal had been babysitting Rhythm she started to feel herself come back, she saw herself in Rhythm. She tended to stop mourning to her mother and look to the future. With a new goal of caring for Rhythm she no longer had to linger on others goals. She now had a dream to see little Rhythm grow up into a wonderful mare.

Today, with Rhythm being two and Loyal being seven years old they were now inseparable.

“You disgust me! Bringing yourself to drink until you no longer can. For Luna’s sake you are the damn mayor!” Loyal no longer could stand the sight of him.

“Please darl’n, I will change,” He pleaded that she would stay but Loyal had other ideas. He had started to cry, the alcohol was getting to his emotions and he couldn’t control himself. He had slightly hoped that the tears may persuade Loyal to stay, but to no avail.

“I’m leaving! I getting away from your wretched odour! Far Away, and don’t come looking for me as I will fight!” Loyal gathered her belongings into her saddlebag. She started to trot out into the hall and was met by hundreds of eyes, all of those who were rimmed with red. Her father scrambled out into the hall, tripping over his own hoof and bumping into the other ponies. He was yelling and screaming trying to keep her to stay, but she was done. Her mind was set and she wasn’t going to stall. She got to the door and yelled to all of those drunks watching the event happen in front of them.

“If you have a daughter, treat them with respect!” She opened the door and slammed it in front of her father’s face. She then galloped down into the street towards Rhythm’s house. She was blinded with the tear that came out her eyes. What has she done, she just yelled at her father and then run away. She felt that this wasn’t going to end well.

She came up to Rhythm’s horse coursing with tears. She opened the door and ran up to Rhythm’s room. Quick Jolt was in there playing with her. She came in and Rhythm saw her friend drenched with tears, something was terribly wrong she thought.

“R-r-hythm pack your things, we are leaving this place.” She tried to stop herself from stuttering as she tried to get Rhythm to grab her things. She looked at Quick Jolt and nodded her head gesturing him to the door. He instinctively reacted and went out into the streets.

“Loyal why are we leaving, what’s happened, why are you crying?” She wanted to find out everything, but she knew that she wouldn’t.

“I-I’ll t-tell you la-ater! We have to go! Get on my back!” Rhythm simply followed her orders. Once she got on they ran out of town. Word got around quickly and ponies began to stream out of their houses to see all of the commotion.

She couldn’t stop now she was on her way, only a coward would go back she thought. Soon after, they were on the road. The road that only lead to Everfree Forest.